Updates on Utah's wildlife from the DWR
Each week the DWR publishes interesting and informative stories about Utah's wildlife. If you want these stories delivered to your inbox just as soon as we publish them, please sign up for our weekly email.
Wednesday marked 125 years of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources owning property to benefit wildlife and provide public access for wildlife-related recreation in Utah.
Visit Hardware Wildlife Education Center to learn more about beavers during March exhibit
Five new conservation projects geared toward helping Utah’s native cutthroat trout were recently selected for this year, funded by the popular fishing challenge, the Utah Cutthroat Slam.
Multiple waves of highly pathogenic avian influenza have affected Utah’s wild bird populations since the first case of the latest outbreak was confirmed in April 2022. Now, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has confirmed that the virus has again been detected in wild birds around the Great Salt Lake and in several other counties throughout Utah, in the latest uptick of the ongoing outbreak.
Few sights in the natural world carry the same symbolic weight as the swan: a universal icon of grace and devotion. For many, catching a glimpse of these birds in the wild is a once-in-a-lifetime "bucket list" event, yet Utahns are uniquely fortunate to be located directly along one of their primary migration routes.
Utah is home to a variety of ducks and migrating geese — as well as other waterbird species — and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is hosting two separate viewing events in southern Utah this month to provide the opportunity to see and learn more about them.
If you are interested in trying hunting for the first time this fall — or if you want to apply for a permit in the upcoming big game application period for the first time — you’ll need to either take a hunter education class or participate in Utah’s Trial Hunting Program.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officially approved the new Utah Wildlife Action Plan on Jan. 6, which allows for needed funding avenues and ongoing action to help the most vulnerable native fish and wildlife species in Utah.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and Utah Department of Transportation, as well as other partners, are working hard to reduce wildlife/vehicle collisions around the state and to also make it easier for wildlife and fish to make their important annual migrations. In 2025, the agencies and other partners installed several different structures and completed a few studies to help wildlife and fish migrate safely in various areas throughout Utah.
2025 saw some great work from people helping to benefit wildlife in Utah, with volunteers in the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Dedicated Hunter Program completing 1,176 projects last year.
Search Wildlife